Greetings Comets,
Welcome back and happy new year. It is particularly fitting that we begin our first week of the spring semester honoring the life and legacy of the great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the son of a pastor and a schoolteacher, who spoke to students at a junior high school in Philadelphia six months before he was assassinated and encouraged them to “be the best of whatever you are.”
It is sound advice for us all as we begin 2023.
This year, Dr. King’s birthday will be observed as a federal holiday on Monday, Jan. 16. We remember him as a prominent leader of the American civil rights movement and as the driving force behind landmark events such as the 381-day Montgomery Bus Boycott and the 1963 March on Washington, which led to the passage of the Civil Rights and Voting Rights acts.
At UT Dallas, we will observe the legacy of Dr. King with our MLK Dream Week centered around the theme of “Achieving Greatness Through Service” — an overriding theme of Dr. King’s own life. I hope you will not only register for the planned activities at UT Dallas, but also honor the tradition of turning the holiday into a day of service and giving. As Dr. King repeatedly demonstrated, one person can make a mighty difference.
Our Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Breakfast takes place at 8:30 a.m., Thursday, Jan. 19, in the Davidson-Gundy Alumni Center. It is free to UTD students, faculty and staff; registration opens at noon on Friday, Jan. 13. But don’t stop there. Our Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (ODEI) encourages you to get involved with an organization that speaks to your drive and interest. You can find many opportunities to be involved on its I Need Action page.
The fulfillment of Dr. King’s vision rests with each of us, as we advance the values he represented in our own lives and in the communities that we share.
To that end, we continue our efforts in diversity, equity and inclusion at UTD. A little over a year ago, we became a charter member of STEMM Equity Achievement (SEA) Change, a program of the American Association for the Advancement of Science to promote equity and inclusion in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine. Under Dr. Yvette E. Pearson, ODEI vice president, we’ve been able to bring together a number of different offices and consolidate them in the Administration Building. These offices and special centers across campus, such as the AccessAbility Resource Center, the Galerstein Gender Center and the Multicultural Center, work together to ensure our policies and practices are built on firm foundations of justice and equity.
Our work at UT Dallas is only beginning, and the work of Dr. King continues to inspire us in the present day.
In his remarks to the junior high students, Dr. King said: “In your life’s blueprint you must have as the basic principle the determination to achieve excellence in your various fields of endeavor. You’re going to be deciding as the days, as the years unfold what you will do in life — what your life’s work will be. Set out to do it well.”
So, in 2023, let us all offer the best of ourselves and in a way that honors Dr. King’s legacy of greatness through service.
Sincerely,
Dr. Richard C. Benson
President
Eugene McDermott Distinguished University Chair of Leadership